Watson Reviews: Breaking In (Spoiler Free)

I’m a little late to this one, but while I let my son ignore my review and see Solo, I went and saw a flick about what a good parent should do to keep awful things away from their children.

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:

After the mysterious death of her criminal father, a mother and her two kids go up to his country estate to prepare it for sale.

In a coincidence of bad timing that could only happen in a Hollywood thriller, the family arrives to the high tech, ultra secure fortress just as the band of criminals who killed the father are trying to find his stash of loot.

When things go sideways, the crooks take the kids hostage and the mom has to figure out how to get them safely back in her arms.

WHAT WORKED:

Gabrielle Union is a solid lead. I didn’t love the movie, but I have always been a big fan of its star. She has a natural charisma that I always wished got more exposure. This starring vehicle didn’t do her skills justice, but it wasn’t her fault.

Hurray for diversity in a film that didn’t need to be diverse. This movie could have starred Reese Witherspoon or Rachael McAdams, but instead it went to a lesser known African American. Hell, it could have been re-tooled to let Liam Neeson try to save the day. But it was a woman at the center of the action. It is rare that an African American woman gets the starring role for a film that could have featured pretty much anyone.

WHAT DIDN’T WORK:

It was pretty much a cliche thriller. There wasn’t much to it. There were some fun twists, and I liked the security system, but beyond that, we’ve all seen this movie a million times.

Too many plot holes or contrived coincidences. These days, people in danger films have to really stretch to make it so the world can’t know there is trouble at a moment’s notice. This one is no different. Turn after turn you keep saying to yourself “but what about…?”

The villains were weak. These guys were pretty much central casting bad guys. Especially the crazy eyes killer of the group. One step lower, these guys would have been Killmonger.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

It wasn’t the worst movie I’ve seen this year. It wasn’t even the worst movie I’ve seen this weekend. That was Solo. This one just cost 20 times less.